AIR-TO-AIR MISSILES

BRIEFING: The AIM- 7 Sparrow is a supersonic, medium-range
air-to-air missile. It has a high-explosive warhead and is guided
by radio frequency signals received from the launching aircraft.

The missile also exists in a ship-based intercept version where it
is designated RIM- 7 Sea Sparrow. The missile entered service in
1956. The first combat use of the AIM- 7 Sparrow occurred in the
Vietnam conflict where it was heavily used by U.S. Air Force and
Navy F- 4 Phantoms. The AIM- 7 is planned to remain in service
through 2018 and is being replaced by the AIM-120D.

BRIEFING: The AIM-9M is a supersonic, short-range air-to-air missile carried on a wide range of modern tactical aircraft.
Various versions of this heat-seeking missile have been produced
since 1956 and are in service with more than 30 nations. The
missile’s main components are an IR homing guidance section,
an active optical target detector, a high-explosive warhead and a
rocket motor. The IR guidance head enables the missile to home
on target aircraft engine exhaust. An IR unit costs less than other
types of guidance systems, and can be used in day/night and
electronic countermeasure conditions. The IR seeker also permits
the pilot to launch the missile, then leave the area or take evasive
action while the missile guides itself to the target.

The AIM-9X Sidewinder is the latest of the Sidewinderfamily of short-range air-to-air missiles. It features a highoff-boresight focal-plane array seeker mounted on a highlymaneuverable airframe with a greatly improved infraredcounter-countermeasures feature. The AIM-9X incorporatesmany AIM-9M components, but its performance far exceedsthe legacy Sidewinder. Unlike previous AIM- 9 models, theAIM-9X can be used against targets on the ground.The AIM-9X Block II is the most advanced short-rangeair-to-air missile in the U.S. inventory, capable of using itsdata link, thrust vectoring maneuverability and advancedIIR seeker to hit targets behind the launching fighter. TheAIM-9X Block II, which achieved IOC in March 2015, is in fullrate production for the Navy and Air Force.The Sidewinder (both AIM-9M and AIM-9X) is the mostwidely used missile in the U.S. weapons inventory, employed onthe F/A- 18, AV-8B, AH- 1, F- 16, F- 15, F- 22, F-35A and A- 10.

BRIEFING: The AIM- 120 AMRAAM has an all-weather, beyond-visual-range capability and is scheduled to be operational
beyond 2020. As a follow-on to the AIM- 7 Sparrow, it is faster,
smaller and lighter, and has improved capabilities against low-altitude targets. It incorporates active radar, in conjunction with
an inertial reference unit and microcomputer system, that
makes the missile less dependent on the fire-control system of
the launching aircraft. Once the missile closes in on the target,
its active radar guides it to intercept.

AMRAAM-equipped fighters can aim and fire several missiles simultaneously at multiple targets. The pilot may then
perform evasive maneuvers while the missiles guide themselves
to their targets. The AIM- 120 was first deployed with F/A- 18
Hornets in 1993. The AIM-120C series began deliveries in 1996.

Joint procurement of the AMRAAM continued with the
AIM-120D version starting in fiscal 2006, which features
improved navigation, kinematics, lethality and hardware and
software updates that enhance its electronic protection capabilities against more capable threats. The AIM-120D IOC was
declared in January 2015.